1. Technical Field
The present invention relates in general to test fixtures and in particular to electrically contacting spring probe receptacles in test fixtures. Still more particularly, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for reliably making electrical contact to spring probe receptacles in test fixtures in a manner which reduces manufacturing costs and lead times.
2. Description of the Related Art
Test fixtures are devices used to test printed circuit boards. Generally electrical contact to the printed circuit board to be tested is made through the use of spring probes strategically situated in a receiver plate. The receiver plate is drilled at the appropriate locations and the holes populated with spring probe receptacles. Spring probes are mounted in the spring probe receptacles to provide electrical contact for the purposes of test or process parameter adjustment. Target printed circuit boards are loaded and registered to the fixture, contacted via the spring probes, and tested.
Current practice in fabricating test fixtures involves wire wrapping the tail stocks of the spring probe receptacles for connection to a test interface area, as shown in FIG. 1. Alternatively, connection leads are point-to-point soldered to the probe receptacle tail stock. Both methods are expensive and error prone, contributing to the cost of wiring and debugging the text fixture. Both methods also add several weeks to several months to the manufacturing lead time for test fixtures and precipitate maintenance requirements during the life of the test fixture.
Therefore it would be desirable to have a method and apparatus for electrically connecting spring probe receptacles in a test fixture to a test set in a manner which reduces manufacturing costs, improves reliability of the electrical connection, and requires a shorter manufacturing lead time.
It is therefore one object of the present invention to provide an improved test fixture.
It is another object of the present invention to provide and improved method and apparatus for electrically contacting spring probe receptacles in test fixtures.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for reliably making electrical contact to spring probe receptacles in test fixtures in a manner which reduces manufacturing costs and lead times.
The foregoing objects are achieved as is now described. Electrical contact to a probe receptacle in a test fixture is provided by fitting the probe receptacle with a compliant pin and inserting the compliant pin into a plated through hole in an interface printed circuit board. The plated through hole is electrically connected to a test interface region on the printed circuit board. The compliant pin provides both electrical contact to and mechanical retention of the interface printed circuit board.
The above as well as additional objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following detailed written description.